Romagicomedy – Romantic comedy with a twist of magic…

The Art of the Selfie…

As many will know the Romance Writers of Australia hosted their annual conference in Sydney recently. It was amazeballs, so wonderful to catch up with friends and meet FB friends face to face for the first time. It’s a highlight to attend the workshops and learn from talented authors and editors, but the social activities are also pretty cool. Especially considering that a 6.30pm time slot for my kid’s parent teacher interviews now constitutes a ‘night out’ for me.

For the last two years I have roomed with my buddy, the gorgeous and supremely talented Dana Mitchell. Last year we took a selfie at the Gala Awards dinner. It was a bit dark in there, but let’s just call it ‘atmospheric’. The kind of lighting that flatters everyone.

So this year, we decide to take a selfie in our room. Firstly, let me show you the view from our room.

This is not our original room. This is the room we were upgraded to upon check in. Yep, we went from the Ibis to the Pullman, with a complimentary drink from the bar while they transported our luggage over. There was no way in hell we were going to inquire as to why, just in case they realised that they had made an error and we were, in fact, not upgraded.

Thank you Ibis and Pullman. Accor, you rock.

Okay, night two of our stay. All dressed up ready for our publisher dinners. Let’s take that selfie.

What a good idea! Two Generation X mums attempting to record a moment for posterity. It can’t be that hard, surely?

Oh, you know, that’s a little dark. I don’t think the flash went off. Let’s try it again…

Hmmmm, I still didn’t see the flash go off. It should have just about blinded us, shouldn’t it?

A moment’s thought about flashes and selfies…

Maybe the flash doesn’t go off when you do a selfie, because, you know, the camera thingy is facing the opposite way.

The penny drops.

Oh! Of course! The flash faces the other way, it will still go off but will light the other side of the room, not us. That’s why we can’t see it.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I know, let’s turn the camera around and estimate where we are in the frame so that the flash will illuminate us instead.

What a great idea. My god, we are sooooo clever.

Awww, shit! That didn’t work either.

Break into hysterical giggles because we just took a selfie of a lamp shade.

Here, let me try something….

Awww, shit! I just took a photo of myself. Fark!

Break into more hysterical giggles.

I should stress, at this point that neither Dana or myself had been drinking anything other than tap water. We can’t even blame our gumbiness on alcohol.

I know, let’s just move into a lit area of the room.

Yeah, that sounds great. Good thinking.

Oh, thank god for that! This selfie stuff is exhausting.

Break into further hysterical giggles.

Night four- Gala Awards Dinner night. The night were romance writers let their hair down. Time for another selfie in our gladrags.

Shit, how did we do this again?

Let’s stand in the same spot as last time and hope for the best.

Yay! It worked. We’ve so got this down pat, now. Let’s try one from near the curtains. It’s a nicer backdrop.

Thanks Louise. I think we will both have to get instruction from our children as to the art of the selfie. But I am glad to say that Kendall Talbot and I had the same trouble in the bus later that night!